Born to be Wylde
by HaloFin17
Summary: A fun collection of short stories from the childhood of Kurt and Markie Wylde. Mostly fluff, but really fun to write. Please enjoy, and feel free to review!
1. Prologue

**Summary:** A fun collection of short stories concerning the childhood of Kurt and Markie Wylde. Mostly fluff, but it was fun to write. Please enjoy, and feel free to review!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Wylde brothers or anything else Hot Wheels related.

**Author's Note:** These were written with much help and input from my younger sister. Thanks a lot, Han! Love ya!

**Prologue**

"Kurt," Mrs. Wylde said, smiling from where she sat in the hospital bed, "Kurt, honey, this is your new baby brother. His name is Mark."

Five-year-old Kurt crawled up onto the bed with her and peered over at the sleeping infant in her arms.

"So, am I a big brother now?" he asked slowly

His mother nodded. "Yes," she answered, holding the tiny child out so her older son could see him better. "Aren't you going to say 'hi'?"

"Hi, Mark," Kurt whispered, not wanting to wake his little brother. But suddenly, he shook his head.

"What's the matter, Kurt?" his father inquired from behind him.

"He just doesn't look like a 'Mark'," Kurt replied, his eyebrows knitting together in a thoughtful frown, but a wide smile soon spread across his face as he once again leaned down toward his baby brother.

"Hi, Markie," he called softly, this time satisfied with how it sounded. He proudly turned back to his father and said firmly, "There, see? That's better."

Mr. Wylde laughed. "You're right," he conceded, "it does sound better now. But what about when he's sixteen or twenty-one? Are you still going to call him 'Markie' then, too?"

Kurt grinned pleasantly at the thought and nodded. "Yep, I think I will."

He put his finger down by his brother's tiny hand, and the baby tightly grabbed hold of it in his sleep. Kurt tentatively reached down and kissed his baby brother on the forehead. The baby yawned, and Kurt smiled. "Markie."


	2. Chapter 1: Stormy Night

**Summary:** A fun collection of short stories from the childhood of Kurt and Markie Wylde. Mostly fluff, but really fun to write. Please enjoy, and as always, feel free to review!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of it.

**Chapter 1: Stormy Night**

Markie cautiously peeked out from beneath his covers one stormy summer night. _Maybe the worst of it's passed_, he thought hopefully, but another resounding BOOM! instantly shattered that idea. Markie yelped and darted back under the covers, trembling.

_This is silly_, he said to himself. _I'm seven years old, I'm not supposed to be scared of thunder anymore!_ But even as he thought it, another peal of thunder cracked nearby, rattling the windows a bit, and Markie pulled the blankets tighter over his head.

_Maybe Kurt's awake?_ he wondered, then shook his head at his own foolishness. _No, Kurt's never really been bothered by storms. He's probably sleeping right through all this._ Markie hung his head in disappointment. _Although,_ he thought, a new idea slowly taking shape, _I suppose I could always go check on him, just in case._

With that thought, Markie clambered out of bed, trying to ignore the storm that still raged on outside, and scurried down the hall to Kurt's bedroom. He quietly opened the door and tip-toed over to his brother's bedside. Just as he had suspected, Kurt was sound asleep.

"Kurt?" Markie called softly, gently shaking his sibling by the shoulder. "Kurt, wake up!"

"Huh?" Kurt rolled over and blinked his eyes open. "Markie?" he asked, bewildered. "What's wrong? Are you afraid of the storm?"

Markie opened his mouth to deny it, but instead he heard himself truthfully answering, "Yes."

Kurt sighed loudly, seemingly annoyed, yet he at once scooted over in the bed and motioned for Markie to join him. "Come on," he said tiredly.

Markie grinned in relief and crawled into bed beside his brother.

"Just make sure you stay on your side," Kurt told him impatiently and rolled over so that his back was turned toward his brother.

"Okay," Markie whispered in reply, curling up as far away from Kurt at possible. After all, he didn't want to make him mad and get thrown out. Yet, with each successive round of lightning and thunder, Markie found himself gradually drawing closer and closer to his brother until he was mere inches from Kurt's back.

_I'd better not get any closer,_ he told himself silently, but at that moment, he was frightened by an exceptionally loud clap of thunder. Markie jumped involuntarily at the sudden noise and bumped hard into Kurt's back. Now startled awake himself, Kurt reflexively rolled over in surprise, his elbow unintentionally colliding against Markie's forehead just above his eye.

"Ouch!" Markie exclaimed, quickly returning to "his side" of the bed and covering his eye with his hand.

"Markie, what are you doing?" Kurt asked, exasperated.

"I'm sorry, Kurt," Markie apologized hurriedly, "I'm sorry! I promise I won't do it again! Please don't be mad at me." He bit his lip as he felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"I'm not mad, Markie," Kurt assured him. "You just startled me, that's all." He sighed heavily. "Are you okay?"

"No," Markie sniffled, tears beginning to escape down his cheeks. "You hurt me!"

"I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean to." Kurt turned on the small lamp by his bed and moved closer to his brother. "Let me see."

Markie pulled back his hand, and Kurt reached up to gingerly touch the tender bump that was already forming above his eye.

"Stop it!" Markie ordered, pushing his hand away. "That hurts."

"Sorry. But it really doesn't look too bad, Markie. You may get a black eye, but you'll live." Only then did he notice that his brother's cheeks were damp. "Markie, are you crying?" he asked slowly.

Markie shook his head furiously, but that only seemed to make the tears fall harder. To make matters worse, he started violently once again as the thunder continued to roar outside, and he could tell Kurt was resisting the urge not to burst out laughing.

"Markie, it's okay," Kurt said with a grin, wrapping an arm around his brother's bony, shivering shoulders and pulling him into a hug. Markie finally let the tears fall freely as he gratefully rubbed his weary head against his brother's shoulder. After a moment, Kurt pulled back and studied his younger sibling.

"You feel any better now?" he asked, squeezing Markie's shoulder. Markie nodded and wiped away his tears with a shuddering sigh as he finally began to relax.

"Come on, let's try this again," Kurt said, turning off the lamp and lying back down.

"You mean," Markie stuttered in disbelief, "you mean you aren't gonna make me go back to my room?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, you'd better stay here. You need more help than I thought."

Markie nodded and lay down next to him, though he soon remembered protocol and began to distance himself from his brother. But Kurt stopped him, pulling him back.

"If you're gonna end up right next to me anyway, you might as well start there so I can get used to it," he explained.

Markie grinned and snuggled up close beside him, Kurt's arm slung over his shoulders. The storm raged on, but Markie was amazed how it no longer seemed so threatening. With an appreciative glance up at Kurt, who had fallen back to sleep almost instantly, Markie squirmed just a bit closer to his brother and finally slept in peace.

**Author's End Note: **Cute, huh? One of my personal favorites. Sorry they're all kinda short, but two more are already finished and will be up soon, and we've got at least two more in the making. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 2: Kurt gets his License

**Summary:** A fun collection of short stories from the childhood of Kurt and Markie Wylde. Mostly fluff, but really fun to write. Please enjoy, and feel free to review!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Hot Wheels ideas or characters.

**Chapter 2: Kurt Gets His License**

One sunny spring afternoon, Kurt was riding home on his bicycle as fast as his legs could pedal him. Once there, he ran inside and called for his parents.

"Mom! Dad! Come here, I've gotta show you something!"

"They aren't here, Kurt," Markie's voice came from the kitchen. Kurt quickly joined his brother.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"They went grocery shopping," Markie replied, putting the last of the pickles on the sandwich he was making. "We need more pickles."

Kurt turned up his nose. "You and your pickles," he said in disgust. "Well, if they aren't here, I guess I'll just have to tell you first." He removed a small object from his pocket and thrust it under his brother's nose just as Markie was preparing to bite into his sandwich. Markie's eyes widened as he stared at the little card Kurt held out to him.

"It's my driver's license!" Kurt explained enthusiastically. "Since yesterday was my birthday, and I didn't want to wait for Mom or Dad to take me to the DMV, I just rode over there and got it myself!"

"Lucky!" Markie groaned. "I wish I could drive."

"It's only five years, Markie, it'll go by before you know it," Kurt told him, then added suddenly, "Hey, I've got an idea! Since Mom and Dad are both out, why don't you let me take you for a ride?"

"In what, the Jaguar?"

Kurt nodded. "Sure, I don't see why not."

"I don't know," Markie sighed, glancing down wistfully at his still uneaten peanut butter and pickle sandwich.

"C'mon," Kurt urged him, "it'll be fun. You can be the first person to ride as a passenger with Kurt Wylde at the wheel!"

"Oh, goody," Markie muttered, then thought a moment. "Okay," he said at last, "I'll go. But I'm taking my sandwich with me!"

"Fine, just don't get any peanut butter on the leather seats!"

---------------------

A short while later, the two brothers sat in the Jaguar sedan in an empty church parking lot.

"Uh, Kurt?" Markie asked nervously. "What are we doing here? I thought you were gonna take me for a drive, like, on the road."

"You'll see," Kurt replied simply.

With that, he stepped on the gas and sped toward the opposite end of the parking lot. But about halfway there, he slammed on the brakes and made a sharp right turn that resulted in a full 360.

"Whoa, Kurt!" Markie exclaimed, his knuckles white from clutching the door handle. "I'm not sure our car's supposed to do stuff like this."

"Don't worry, Markie," Kurt assured him with a wide grin. "I've got everything under control. Just don't throw up that disgusting sandwich all over the upholstery."

As he finished speaking, he again accelerated toward the far end of the lot, fishtailing a bit along the way. And just as they were about to drive up onto the grass, Kurt hit the brakes and jerked the car left, causing the rear end of the vehicle to swing around and park perfectly alongside the curb.

"There," Kurt sighed happily. "Wasn't that fun, Markie?"

Wide-eyed, Markie gaped at his brother for a moment, unable to speak. When he had finally pried his fingers free from the door handle and recovered his voice, he exclaimed, "When I learn to drive, I'm gonna drive just like you!"

Kurt just laughed and ruffled his brother's hair in reply.

"But seriously," Markie went on, "where did you learn to do all that?"

Kurt shrugged. "Practice, I guess. But honestly, it all comes to me pretty naturally, too. I think I could make a living driving someday." He then looked down at the clock and exclaimed, "Hey, we'd better get home! Mom and Dad are probably back by now."

-------------------------

When they got home, however, they saw that their parents still had not returned. They therefore decided to check the car over for any damage, and unfortunately, they found some. The rubber had started peeling off of the tires, and there was a long scratch near the end of the automobile.

"I have no idea where that scratch could have come from," Kurt commented, puzzled.

"Oh, I knew that car wasn't meant to do those kind of tricks!" Markie lamented. "Mom and Dad are definitely not going to be happy about this."

"Mom and Dad aren't going to find out," Kurt interjected firmly.

"Oh, really?" Markie replied. "And how exactly are you going to keep them from seeing this?" He gestured toward the painfully obvious scratch on the Jaguar's black paint.

Kurt opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment, their parents drove up in the family mini-van.

"If you say one word, I'll kill you!" Kurt hissed at his brother as their parents approached.

"Hello, boys!" Mrs. Wylde called, her arms full of groceries. "What's new?" Suddenly, she saw the Jaguar and gasped. "What happened to our beautiful car?" she shrieked.

Kurt and Markie exchanged worried looks but remained silent.

"Markie," Mrs. Wylde said, turning to her younger son, "aren't you going to tell your mother what happened?"

Kurt glared down at his brother.

"I can't tell you," Markie replied with an anxious glance up at Kurt.

"And why not?" his mother asked, her patience wearing thin.

"Because Kurt'll kill me if I do!"

"Thanks a lot, Markie!" Kurt snapped, but he was then forced to tell the whole story. His parents were proud of him for getting his license, but they told him he wouldn't be able to use it again for a whole week.


	4. Chapter 3: Help with Homework

**Summary: **A fun collection of short stories from the childhood of Kurt and Markie Wylde. Mostly fluff, but a lot of fun to write. Please enjoy and feel free to review, as always!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Hot Wheels characters or ideas.

**Chapter 3: Help with Homework**

Markie looked up from doing his homework at the kitchen table as Kurt and someone he didn't recognize entered through the front door. They dropped their backpacks by the door and made their way into the kitchen.

"Hey, Kurt," Markie called, hoping the attention would grant him an introduction to the newcomer.

"Hey," Kurt replied, and sure enough, an introduction followed as he turned to his companion. "Dan, this is my kid brother, Markie. Markie, this is my friend, Dan Dresden."

"Hi, Dan," Markie said with a big smile. "Nice to meet ya."

Dan grinned in return. "Nice to meet you too, Markie. And how exactly did you get that nickname, if you don't mind my asking? Cause I've met a lot of kids named Mark, but I've never heard of any of them being called 'Markie'."

"It's all his fault!" Markie exclaimed immediately, pointing an accusing finger at Kurt.

"Really?" Dan asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I don't think he's ever called me 'Mark' once in his entire life, even though that is my real name."

Kurt merely shrugged. "No, I think I did once, right when I first saw you as a baby. But you were too little, and the name 'Mark' just didn't seem to fit. So, I started calling you 'Markie,' and it stuck, even after you outgrew it."

"Yeah, and now you're gonna call me 'Markie' for the rest of my life!" Markie groaned.

"Probably," Kurt admitted.

Dan laughed. "Well, at least you can tell your friends to call you 'Mark'."

"I've tried," Markie insisted, "but as soon as they hear Kurt call me 'Markie,' they start doing it, too, and I can't get 'em to stop."

"Well, then, I guess you're stuck," Dan told him, grinning.

"Dan, are you a Junior like Kurt?" Markie asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yep. And what grade are you in?"

"Sixth."

"Hmm, so that means you're about, what, eleven or twelve?"

"I'm twelve," Markie replied proudly, "but I'm already sick of school. I wish it was over for good!"

"Apparently my Senioritis is contagious," Kurt spoke up, grinning as he reached over to mess up his brother's hair, but Markie angrily batted his hand away. "He already thinks sixth grade is such a burden."

"Well, I don't mind school too much," Markie further explained. "It's just that I can't stand all the homework."

Kurt snorted. "It'll only get worse, trust me."

"But it's already so hard!" Markie argued loudly. "Like this math stuff. I have no idea what I'm doing." He dropped his pencil on the large math book in frustration.

"What exactly are you working on?" Dan asked, pulling a chair up close to where Markie sat.

"I'm not even really sure, except that it's got something to do with fractions." Markie's eyes brightened at the prospect of assistance, and he eagerly turned the book so Dan could see it better.

"You sure you want to do this, Dresden?" Kurt's voice came from behind them. "It could take a while; he tends to be kinda slow with stuff like this."

"I am not!" Markie replied hotly.

"I'm just kidding," Kurt assured him with a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Okay," Markie sighed, then turned back to Dan. "Kurt's right, though. I don't wanna waste your guys' time."

"It's alright," Dan told him. "We were gonna do some work on your brother's car, but it can wait. We've got all night."

"Thanks a lot," Markie said, relieved. "You sure it's okay?" he asked again, looking at Kurt.

Kurt nodded and sat down on the other side of his brother. "Sure, no problem. Now, let's see what you've got here."

Luckily for the older boys, Markie caught onto the math fairly quickly, and it wasn't long before they could get to work on Kurt's car, changing the oil and replacing the old headlights with neons. Markie rushed through his remaining homework problems and joined them in just a short while.

---------------------

Later that evening, after Dan had gone home, Kurt was reading a magazine in the living room when Markie came up to him and abruptly asked, "Kurt, what do you know about girls?"

Kurt slowly lowered his magazine and stared at Markie in wonder. "Why?"

Markie shrugged. "I'm just curious."

"Well, you're asking the wrong person. I've never really had the time or interest for them." He raised the magazine again. "Besides, you're only twelve, and an immature twelve-year-old at that."

"So what?" Markie cried. "Didn't you have any problems like this when you were twelve? Didn't you want to be around some kind of girl?"

Kurt deliberately set down the magazine and pointedly replied, "The only girl I want is one that has a 627 horsepower engine, can do 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, and reaches over 230 miles per hour."

"You're talking about a car!" Markie exclaimed, incredulous.

"A McLaren F1, little bro," Kurt said with a broad grin. "It doesn't get much better than that."

Markie just shook his head. "I still can't believe you."

Kurt shrugged carelessly. "Why not? I'd take a car over a girl any day."

"You're sick!" Markie snapped, face twisted in disgust. He then got up to leave the room, but before he left, he heard Kurt calling after him.

"Talk to Dad about your problem."

"Of course," Markie muttered in frustration, "why didn't I think of that before? Then I wouldn't have had to waste my time with _Kurt_!" With that, he stomped out of the room.

Meanwhile, Kurt smiled slyly to himself and resumed his reading. "Kids," he sighed.


	5. Chapter 4: Sick Together

**Summary: **A fun collection of short stories from the childhood of Kurt and Markie Wylde. Mostly fluff, but really fun to write. Please enjoy and feel free to review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any Hot Wheels/Mattel products, characters, etc.

**Author's Note: **I actually can't take credit for this story at all. Though I did edit this for her, my little sister pretty much wrote the whole thing on her own. Great job, Han!

**Chapter 4: Sick Together**

"Mom!" Thirteen-year-old Kurt called hoarsely one wintry morning. "Mom, my throat really hurts. It feels like I can barely swallow."

"Let me see," Mrs. Wylde said as she retrieved a small flashlight and looked into Kurt's mouth. "Oh, yes, it's very red and swollen," she commented.

At that moment, eight-year-old Markie came running into the room. "Mom," he whispered pitifully, "my throat hurts."

Mrs. Wylde examined his throat and exclaimed that it, too, was red and swollen. "I think we'll be making a trip to the doctor's very soon," she told her sons with a sigh.

Kurt and Markie exchanged worried glances, and sure enough, the next morning they were in the car on their way to the doctor's office. When they arrived, the doctor examined them both and declared that they both had a bad case of strep throat.

"I'll prescribe some antibiotics for you both," he told them. "I also suggest that the two of you get lots of rest, drink plenty of fluids, mainly water, and eat mostly smooth foods like jello or ice cream."

Kurt groaned and glared at his brother. "Oh, why do you have to be sick right now, too? I could have had all that good food for myself!" Though upset, he spoke quietly so he wouldn't further strain his throat.

"It's not my fault!" Markie snapped back hoarsely.

"All right, boys, that's enough," Mrs. Wylde said as she stepped between her bickering children. "Thank you once again, Doctor," she added. "I'll see to it that they follow your instructions."

With that, they drove home, and Mrs. Wylde immediately gave each of them some medicine and a Popsicle. While she was out the following day, Kurt and Markie both grew hungry and decided to make themselves some soup.

Kurt was about to open the can when Markie suddenly cried out, "Wait! Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course I do! There are instructions right on the can. See?" Kurt held out the can to his brother who was convinced.

After Kurt had served them both some soup, Markie looked over at Kurt's bowl and then at his own.

"You gave yourself more than me," he remarked shrewdly.

"So?" Kurt replied simply. "I'm bigger than you, so I it makes sense that I should get more."

"But I'm a growing boy! I _need_ more soup!"

"Oh, come on, Markie, it's not like you're gonna die of starvation."

"I don't care," Markie pouted, "I want more soup!"

Kurt rolled his eyes and grudgingly ladled some of his own soup into Markie's bowl.

"There," he said. "Are you happy?"

Markie smiled broadly and nodded.

"Good," Kurt said. "Just don't tell Mom we were fighting when we should've been sleeping, or she'll yell at us."

Markie hastily nodded his agreement, and they ate their soup in silence.

----------------

A couple more days passed, and Kurt and Markie both declared that, apart from a lingering sore throat, they were feeling much better.

"That's wonderful," Mrs. Wylde told them. "Why don't you two have another Popsicle to help those poor throats of yours."

"Fine with me!" Kurt replied happily, dashing over to the freezer and grabbing a Popsicle.

Markie came up behind him and timidly asked, "Could you get me one, too?"

Kurt took a moment to search the freezer before finally answering him. "Sorry, Markie, but I think I've got the last one."

"Well, I think _I_ should get the last one!" Markie protested. "You've had more than me over the past few days."

"I'll tell you what," Kurt replied at last and put his arm down on the counter. "Why don't we arm wrestle for it."

Markie stared wide-eyed at his older brother. "Let's play rock-paper-scissors," he moaned pitifully.

"Fine," Kurt agreed, and after several rounds of the game, he won. But just as he was about to start eating his victory prize, he glanced over at Markie who was staring intensely at the lone Popsicle.

"Here, Markie," Kurt said after a moment, "you have it. I don't really feel like a Popsicle anyway."

"Thanks!" Markie exclaimed gratefully as he took the Popsicle.

At that moment, their mother stuck her head into the kitchen. "Is everything all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, Mom," Kurt replied as he reached over to ruffle Markie's hair. "Everything's great."

"Good," Mrs. Wylde said with a smile. "There, you see, even you two can get along if you really work at it!"

**Author's End Note: **Hope you liked that, I'll make sure my sis sees any reviews left for this chapter! I've got one more fairly long installment in its final stages, so keep your eyes open!


	6. Chapter 5: Snowed In

**Summary: **A collection of short stories from the childhood of Kurt and Markie Wylde. Mostly fluff, but really fun to write. Please enjoy, and feel free to review!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any Hot Wheels/Mattel characters or ideas.

**Author's Note:** I regret to say it, but this is the last installment I currently have planned for Born to be Wylde. Other ideas may present themselves in the future, but if so, it'll still probably be a while. I hope these short stories about our favorite brothers have brought some smiles to your faces and maybe even brightened up your day. Thanks everyone for the reviews, they truly are appreciated! Enjoy!

**Chapter 5: Snowed-In**

"Now, you boys be good while we're away," Mrs. Wylde sternly told her two sons.

"Don't worry, Mom, we will," Kurt answered for both himself and his brother.

"Good," their father added. "Just as long as the house looks the same when we get back as it does now, we won't even ask what happened."

"Really?" Markie exclaimed. "Cool!"

"Honey, don't encourage them," Mrs. Wylde gently scolded her husband.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "They're old enough to take care of themselves now. But you and I had better hurry if we're going to make it to the airport on time."

"Alright, dear, just a moment." Mrs. Wylde turned and gave her sons one last hug good-bye. "I love you both! And, please don't get yourselves into too much trouble."

With that, she and her husband got into their black Jaguar sedan and drove off. When they were out of sight, Markie turned to his brother.

"What's she so worried about?" he asked. "I mean, you're eighteen, and I'm thirteen; it's not like we're little kids anymore."

"Mothers always worry like that. She's just uneasy about leaving her two teenage boys home alone for so long. After all, who knows what we might do."

"Yeah, that reminds me," Markie broke in, "what are we gonna do, anyway?"

Kurt grinned mischievously. "You mean, 'what _aren't_ we going to do?' Think about it, Markie: our parents are going on a cruise in the Bahamas for a whole week, we have the house all to ourselves, and we have plenty of free time since we're still on Christmas break. The possibilities here are limitless!"

"I know that," Markie retorted impatiently. "But where do we start?"

"Well, first of all, I'm gonna call Dan Dresden and see if he wants to come over for a while, maybe even a couple of days. Hang on a second, I'll try to get a hold of him right now." Kurt stepped out of the room to make the call and returned shortly, grinning broadly. "Good news! He'll be over in about an hour and plans on staying for three or four days."

"Great!" Markie exclaimed. "This'll be fun! Hey, Kurt, can I invite a friend over, too?"

"No," Kurt replied flatly.

Markie looked taken aback. "Why not?" he asked indignantly.

"Because none of your friends can drive, and I don't want to go pick any of them up."

"Fine, be that way. But you know that means I'm gonna have to hang out with you and Dan all week."

"When _aren't_ you hanging around me and Dan? We tolerate you because we can't get rid of you, and believe me, we've tried. You're probably the worst tag-along I've ever seen! But that's okay this time; it'll be fun with just the three of us."

"Okay," Markie conceded, though he still looked a bit skeptical.

-------------------

Sure enough, Dan Dresden arrived within the hour, and the next four days went along splendidly, with the exception of a few slight cooking mishaps. Of course, they spent most of their time during the day engaged in activities involving cars, and at night they would watch movies and play poker. Kurt and Dan had taught Markie how to play a couple months earlier, but he still lacked much experience with the game and rarely won any hands.

After numerous rounds of Texas Hold 'Em the final night of Dan's visit, the three boys camped out in the living room and fell asleep watching "The Fast and the Furious" some time after two in the morning. None of them noticed that it had begun to snow.

----------------

Markie awoke early the next morning, and after a brief stretch, he curled back up in the big armchair where he had slept, intending to go right back to sleep. But as he rolled over to face the window, something caught his attention just as his eyes were closing, and they immediately snapped back open. The world outside was white. Everything was covered with at least two feet of snow, and even more still fell from the sky, tossed about wildly by gusts of icy wind.

Suddenly alert, Markie scrambled out of the chair and knelt down on the floor next to the beanbag chair where Kurt had fallen asleep.

"Kurt!" Markie called excitedly, shaking him roughly by the shoulder. "Kurt, wake up! It's snowing like crazy!"

"Markie," Kurt groaned as he woke up, "you remember it was almost three a.m. when we went to bed last night? Well, now…" He squinted down at his watch. "…it's not even seven o'clock yet. Go back to sleep!"

"But, Kurt, it's snowing!"

"So what? We haven't gotten more than a couple inches at a time all year. It's no big deal, now go back to sleep! Or, if you really want to stay up, at least leave me alone!" With that, he rolled over with his back towards his brother and was silent.

Markie scowled at him and shook his head in frustration before moving over to where Dan slept on the couch.

"Dan," he whispered urgently, gingerly poking his brother's friend in the arm. "Dan, you've gotta wake up!"

"Huh? What's goin' on?" Dan yawned as he woke and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Dan, weren't you planning on going home today?" Markie inquired.

"Well, yeah," Dan replied groggily, "but it's still really early, Markie. I didn't know you wanted to get rid of me that badly."

"No, it's not like that," Markie hurriedly explained. "It snowed a lot last night, and it's still coming down now! It's really windy, too. I don't know if you'll be able to make it home unless you leave right now."

"Don't worry about it, Dresden," Kurt murmured sleepily from the other side of the room. "He's probably exaggerating things, like always. Even if there is a lot of snow, we'll just dig your car out, and you'll be fine."

"But, Kurt," Markie insisted, "the snow's already up past his car's bumper, and our street hasn't been plowed yet! There's no way he'll make it outta here."

"Let me see," Dan finally interjected as he rose and walked over to the window. "Oh, man," he breathed softly. "Markie's right, Kurt. This is really bad, and it looks like it might get worse. I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a while."

"You mean you're not even gonna try?" Markie asked him.

Dan shook his head. "Why bother? It's already too late to try now, so it really doesn't even matter how much more snow we get. I'll just call home later and tell my parents I'm still here." He yawned again. "But now, I'm going back to sleep."

"Good idea," Kurt muttered. He still hadn't moved from his place on the floor.

Dan lay back down on the couch, and soon he and Kurt were both sound asleep once more.

Markie simply looked on and sighed. Sometimes he just didn't understand those two! But he had to admit, he was still very tired as well. He grabbed a warm blanket and curled up again in the armchair, letting the swirling snow outside the window lull him back to a restful sleep.

----------------

Markie awoke several hours later, and though the snow had stopped, there was at least another six inches on the ground, and wind was howling. Dan and Kurt were already awake.

"Power's out," Kurt told him, leaning against his brother's chair.

"Ah, so that's why it's so cold in here," Markie said as he pulled the blanket tighter around himself.

"Yeah," Dan laughed. "You'd better get used to it."

"How long until they can get the power fixed?" Markie asked him.

Dan shrugged. "Hopefully not much more than a day or two, but it could easily take longer than that."

"Great," Markie muttered, "and Mom and Dad aren't even here to help us with anything."

"Don't worry, Markie," Kurt told him. "We'll just get a fire started in the fireplace, light some candles, and wear our coats inside if we have to. No big deal."

"Man, I wish I had _your_ confidence," Markie retorted. He shivered. "When are you gonna get that fire started?"

"I'll do it now, just let me go get some wood from outside," Kurt replied as he put on his coat and boots and left them.

"I'll get the matches," Markie volunteered, getting up and heading after his brother. He passed the back door and saw that it was wide open, even though Kurt was just then returning with the firewood.

"Kurt!" Markie exclaimed angrily, "are you crazy? You didn't leave the door open the whole time you were out, did you? It's already freezing in here!"

"Sorry, I thought I closed it," Kurt apologized. "Maybe it just didn't shut all the way, and then the wind blew it open. But, oh well, if it's already as cold in here as you say, having the door open for a minute isn't going to kill us."

"I guess," Markie admitted reluctantly, grabbing a box of matches and following his brother back into the living room.

----------------

A short while later, they had a warm, pleasant fire going, and Markie was comfortably settled with a blanket on the beanbag chair.

"You wanna play Monopoly with us?" Kurt asked as he and Dan set up the board in front of the fireplace. "It's a nice long game, and there really isn't much else to do."

Markie shook his head. "No thanks, I'll just watch."

"Okay, suit yourself," Kurt replied with as shrug.

Markie looked away and sighed, soon allowing himself to be mesmerized by the dancing firelight that cast long, flickering shadows across the floor. Suddenly, he froze.

"Kurt!" he cried out, urgently tapping his startled brother on the shoulder. "Kurt, something just went under the couch!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Markie," Kurt told him impatiently. "You're just imagining things, that's all."

But Markie pressed on. "No, Kurt, I'm serious! I saw something run under there just now!"

"You saw something 'run' under there?" Dan questioned, his eyebrows rising slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I swear!"

"Well, I suppose something could possibly have come in while the back door was open," Kurt slowly admitted. "Something small that wanted to get out of the cold."

"Let's take a look," Dan suggested. "Kurt, you and I will lift up the couch; and then, Markie, get one of those flashlights we found earlier and shine it under there."

Kurt and Markie agreed to the plan, and the three of them assumed their proper positions.

"Ready?" Dan called. "On three – one, two, three!"

The couch was easily tilted back, but poor Markie never even had the chance to shine the light under it before a small, dark shape came dashing out. Dan and Kurt both cried out in surprise and dropped the couch with a 'thud,' while Markie shrieked in fright and jumped up on the armchair. After a brief moment of silence in which their heart rates resumed a normal pace, Dan finally spoke up.

"Okay," he said, "no problem. We can do this! After all, it's the three of us against that one…whatever it was."

"A mouse," Markie added from his place on the chair. "It was definitely a mouse – I saw it."

"Alright, then, it's three of us versus one mouse," Dan finished.

"Good," Kurt said, "a mouse isn't too bad."

"Yes, it is!" Markie exclaimed, his voice cracking a bit. "It's terrible!"

"Come on, Markie, it's just one mouse," Dan told him. "How much harm could it do?"

"I don't like mice," Markie insisted, "or anything else small and furry, for that matter."

"Oh, yeah," Kurt interjected suddenly, a smile spreading across his face. "You never did like my hamster, did you?"

"That thing was mean," Markie shot back. "It hated me!"

"Well, that's because you were, what, four or five years old at the time? What small animal with half a brain _wouldn't_ be afraid of you?"

"It bit me!"

"You asked for it! You woke him up when he was sleeping – you provoked him!"

"Okay, guys," Dan broke in, stepping between the two brothers. "This isn't getting us anywhere. Enough about Kurt's long-dead hamster! The poor thing probably died from listening to you two arguing all the time. Now, Markie, did you see where it went?"

"What, Kurt's hamster?"

"No, you crazy kid, the mouse!"

"Oh, the mouse! Yeah, I think it ran into the coat closet, or somewhere around there."

"Good. Let's move in."

"Wait," Kurt quickly broke in, "we need weapons first."

"Weapons?" Dan repeated bewilderedly, but Kurt had already left the room.

"You mean we're actually gonna kill it?" Markie asked nervously.

Dan looked back at Markie and threw up his hands. "I don't know! I have no idea what's going through your brother's thick head."

At that moment, Kurt returned with their "weapons." He had a baseball bat for himself, a tennis racket for Dan, and a flyswatter for his brother.

"A flyswatter!" Markie complained. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I don't know. Stun it, I guess," was Kurt's impatient reply.

Dan got them focused again, saying, "Come on, you guys. Let's go!"

The three of them surrounded the coat closet, and Kurt slowly stepped forward, gingerly moving things around on the floor in an attempt to scare out the unwelcome rodent. When the mouse finally did scurry out, though, it was too quick. The boys managed to get off a few blows, mostly striking each others' toes or shins in the process, and they nearly tripped all over each other as they chased after the mouse, which darted into the kitchen and under the refrigerator.

"We're getting nowhere," Dan exclaimed, ruefully rubbing his freshly bruised shin. "This will never work. We need to approach the whole situation from a new angle."

"Hey, why don't we just try to catch it, instead of killing it?" Kurt suggested.

"Good idea," Dan concurred enthusiastically. "But how?"

"Well, I'm sorry to bring up that old hamster again, Dresden, but he actually escaped from his cage a couple times, and I'm pretty sure I remember how we caught him."

"How _you_ caught it, you mean," Markie interrupted him with a scowl. "Because_ I_ sure didn't help you look for it. I would've been glad to see that mean old thing get lost and never come back!"

"Oh, be quiet, Markie!" Kurt snapped at him before turning back to Dan. "I think what the hamster books said to do, and what we did, was to put some food in a bucket with a ramp leading up to the top. And after a while, the hamster, or mouse in our case, smells the food, goes up the ramp to look for it, and ends up falling into the bucket where it is then trapped."

Dan nodded. "Alright, we'll try it. I just hope those things can't jump too high. What should we use for bait?"

"Cheese," Markie stated matter-of-factly.

"And I know they say to use peanut butter if you're trying to catch rats," Kurt added.

"Okay, then," Dan concluded. "If we use cheese covered in peanut butter, we can't miss."

They quickly set up the trap in front of the refrigerator and then stood back, waiting in utter silence.

"I think it knows we're here," Kurt finally whispered into the stillness. "Maybe we should go back into the living room for a while. We can always come back later."

Dan and Markie both nodded their agreement, and the three of them slipped away quietly into the living room. They sat in silence for nearly ten minutes before Markie impatiently spoke up.

"Can't we go check now?" he asked, chewing nervously on his thumbnail.

"Sure," Dan answered with a glance at his watch. "I think it's been long enough. Let's go see what we've got, if anything at all."

When they returned to the kitchen, Kurt was the first one to look inside the trap.

"Yes, we got it!" he exclaimed, high-fiving Dan in congratulations.

But Markie still stood several feet behind them. "Are you sure?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, Markie, it's right here," Kurt told him, pointing down into the bucket. "And you were right, it is a mouse."

Markie slowly crept forward until he could just barely see inside the makeshift trap. The mouse looked innocently up at him and squeaked, causing Markie to jump back in surprise. Kurt and Dan both couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sight, and Markie's face reddened.

"Don't worry, Markie," Kurt consoled him. "It's only a mouse, he's not gonna hurt anything. Just look at him – he's helpless."

Markie vehemently shook his head. "No thanks, I'd rather not. Why don't you guys just kill it, or get rid of it – whatever it was you were gonna do."

"You don't actually want to kill it, do you?" Dan asked his friend.

Kurt shook his head. "No. Like I said before, he's helpless. And besides, he's actually kinda cute."

Dan grinned at that, but Markie burst out, "Cute! Are you crazy? Just look at that long tail – he's bound to be vicious!"

"Oh, knock it off, Markie," Kurt scolded him. "He's not vicious. And he _is_ pretty cute with those beady eyes and huge whiskers."

"Well, why don't you just go ahead and keep it, then," Markie angrily shot back. "I'm sure it would make a great pet!"

"You know, I probably should keep it, just to spite you," Kurt retorted. "I could put it in your bed when you're asleep, and then you'd wake up to a mouse crawling all over you."

Markie froze, and his eyes widened in horror as he considered this new threat.

"But he won't," Dan hastily interrupted. "Man, you guys are terrible sometimes! But enough arguing. Let's just go put it outside somewhere, and hopefully it won't come back."

"Right," Kurt agreed. "We'll let it go under the shed in the backyard. At least there's some shelter there."

------------------

Mere minutes later, the mouse was free, and the boys were back inside the house, safely alone, but still shivering from the cold.

"Oh, when'll they get the power fixed?" Markie moaned. He now wore two sweatshirts and was once again curled up tightly with a heavy blanket in the beanbag chair next to the fireplace.

"I don't know, but I hope it's soon," Kurt said. He and Dan were both wearing their winter coats and lighting candles around the living room as daylight began to fade.

"But now what?" Markie went on. "It's only seven o'clock, and it's already dark. What are we supposed to do for the rest of the night with no power?"

"What?" Kurt exclaimed. "You mean you aren't exhausted after that whole mouse business?"

"No!" Markie replied sharply.

"Hey," Dan broke in, "we never did finish that game of Monopoly. Why don't we do that?"

"Alright. Good idea, Dresden," Kurt agreed as they sat down on the floor.

"Can I play this time?" Markie asked hopefully.

"Sure, Markie," Dan told him. "We'll just start a whole new game."

-----------------

Six hours later, it was after one in the morning, and the epic struggle raged on. Markie had gone bankrupt nearly two hours ago, and now it was all he could do to keep his eyes open.

"Somebody win, already," he murmured sleepily, leaning back heavily against his brother.

Kurt, too, must have been very tired, because he didn't even bother trying to push Markie away. "Rent," he called drowsily as Dan landed on one of his railroads.

Dan handed him a fifty. "Here ya go."

"Why don't you just call it a tie?" Markie suggested. "This is getting ridiculous!"

Dan and Kurt exchanged glances and simultaneously shook their heads.

"No way!" Kurt exclaimed as he rolled the dice with renewed intensity.

"Yeah, we're both too competitive," Dan added. "Aha, rent! That's the third time in a row you've landed on my Park Place with three houses. You outta cash yet?"

Kurt grimaced as he surveyed his financial situation. "I mortgaged most of my property the last time I landed there. And since you haven't been kind enough to land on anything _I_ own, I've got nothin' left." He threw up his hands. "I surrender, Dresden. You win."

"Good, it's about time," Dan said, yawning widely. "There, Markie, it's finally over. Markie?"

"He's asleep," Kurt said in disbelief as he looked down over his shoulder at his sibling.

"I guess that mouse really did wear him out," Dan remarked, an amused twinkle in his eye.

Kurt looked back at his friend and laughed. "I think you're right. But I'm tired, too. What do you say we call it a night?"

Dan nodded "I agree." He added more wood to the dwindling fire, retrieved a couple of blankets (they had earlier raided every room in the house for blankets), and stretched out on the couch with his head pointed toward the warmth of the fire.

"You know, that fire'll be out I a couple of hours," he told Kurt.

"Yeah, I know," Kurt replied. "If it dies, whoever wakes up from the cold first can start it up again."

"Fair enough," Dan said wearily. "'Night, then."

"See ya in the morning," Kurt called back. He settled himself into the nearby beanbag chair and sighed. Markie was still resting against him, fast asleep, though he looked like he was in a rather uncomfortable position. Kurt shook his head and rolled his eyes impatiently, but he was just too tired to get up and move Markie somewhere else. He therefore gave in and wrapped another blanket around his brother before grabbing one for himself. He curled up and fell asleep almost immediately.

-----------------

Dan was the first one up the following morning, and by then, the fire was completely dead. Remembering the agreement he and Kurt had made the night before, he sighed tiredly and rolled off the couch, still only half awake, and made his way over toward the fireplace. A glance at his watch told him it was almost nine o'clock.

_If the fire's been out for so long, why doesn't it feel colder in here? _he wondered vaguely. Just then, a flashing light caught his attention. It was the clock on the television.

"Hey, power's back!" he called out with sudden energy.

Kurt's eyes blinked open. "Huh? What was that, Dresden?"

"I said, 'the power's back'!"

"Good." Kurt brushed a hand wearily across his face and attempted to squirm out from under his brother who still lay sleeping across his legs. "Markie, wake up! Come on, Markie, move!"

Markie grunted softly in protest as Kurt moved out from under him, but nevertheless, he woke up and moved away from his brother.

Kurt winced as a sat up and painfully rubbed his legs. "Dang it, Markie, you've put both my legs to sleep. This kills!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Markie apologized.

"That's alright, just remember this the next time I ask you for a favor."

----------------

Dan went home later that day since most of the roads had been cleared, and the Wylde brothers were left with two days in which to clean up the damage of the past week, a feat they performed to the best of their ability. When Mr. and Mrs. Wylde finally returned home, bearing tans and flowered shirts beneath their winter coats, their children were more than ready for their arrival.

"Kurt can't cook to save his life," Markie told his mother. "I'm glad you're home."

"Oh, thanks, sweetie," she replied, planting a kiss on top of his head.

"Hey, I tried! And you weren't exactly much help in the cooking department, either," Kurt said in his own defense.

"But, you survived, just like we knew you would," their father interjected, patting his eldest son firmly on the back. "And the house still looks as nice as the day we left, so as agreed, we won't demand that you give us a detailed report on everything that happened. But even so, with the blizzard and everything, surely there must be some exciting stories that you _want_ to tell us."

Markie quickly exchanged nervous glances with Kurt, who was fighting hard to suppress a grin, then looked back at his parents and shrugged innocently. "No, sorry. I'm afraid there's really not much to tell."


End file.
